Mosiah 15:1-10
Immediately after quoting this extended passage from Isaiah, Abinadi explains that "God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people." This one statement puts to an end the ambiguity, and confusion of religion and gives me a clear and direct line of belief. This is the what and the why of my belief.
Verses 2 - 5 cannot be lightly passed over because they offer profound context for one of the greatest theological mysteries of our times. Especially helpful are the footnotes which reference a multitude of other scriptural sources that state the same thing: that Christ is one God, the Son of God and the Eternal Father of heaven and earth.
The verses leading up to verse 8 demonstrate how Christ was able to overcome and break the bands of death. It impresses me that this is as much in reference to the spiritual death as it is to the physical death. Verse 9 puts it in these terms: "having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice."
This chapter is rich in meaning and doctrine. Abinadi goes on to answer one of the questions posed by Isaiah: "Who shall declare his generation?" (vs. 10). The answer was an astonishing reminder of my responsibility to act. I think I will start a separate post on this tomorrow.
Immediately after quoting this extended passage from Isaiah, Abinadi explains that "God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people." This one statement puts to an end the ambiguity, and confusion of religion and gives me a clear and direct line of belief. This is the what and the why of my belief.
Verses 2 - 5 cannot be lightly passed over because they offer profound context for one of the greatest theological mysteries of our times. Especially helpful are the footnotes which reference a multitude of other scriptural sources that state the same thing: that Christ is one God, the Son of God and the Eternal Father of heaven and earth.
The verses leading up to verse 8 demonstrate how Christ was able to overcome and break the bands of death. It impresses me that this is as much in reference to the spiritual death as it is to the physical death. Verse 9 puts it in these terms: "having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice."
This chapter is rich in meaning and doctrine. Abinadi goes on to answer one of the questions posed by Isaiah: "Who shall declare his generation?" (vs. 10). The answer was an astonishing reminder of my responsibility to act. I think I will start a separate post on this tomorrow.
When I read this last year as I was going through the Book of Mormon verse by verse, I was struck that I had misunderstood these verses before. I believe now what they are saying is that he is the father because he inherited from his Father the power of immortality and is the son because he inherited death (flesh) from his mother. So in v7 he says that the flesh becoming subject to death or the son being subject to father. He was truly the only person who didn't have to die but could choose to... no man taken it from me but I lay it down myself. I have power to lay it down and have power to take it up again. Not sure if I explained that well.
ReplyDeleteI think you did. Of Christ having power to be both the Father and the Son is one of those wonderful mysteries of the kingdom. But yes, because Christ was given power of His Father over death, it was a choice for Him. How much more compelling an argument for agency this becomes with the knowledge that Christ was able to keep himself from death, and because of His love and desire to save us, He chose death.
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